EP0054062B1 - Automatic backfat meter - Google Patents
Automatic backfat meter Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- EP0054062B1 EP0054062B1 EP81901943A EP81901943A EP0054062B1 EP 0054062 B1 EP0054062 B1 EP 0054062B1 EP 81901943 A EP81901943 A EP 81901943A EP 81901943 A EP81901943 A EP 81901943A EP 0054062 B1 EP0054062 B1 EP 0054062B1
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- European Patent Office
- Prior art keywords
- pulses
- echo
- predetermined
- counter
- pulse
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
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- A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
- A22—BUTCHERING; MEAT TREATMENT; PROCESSING POULTRY OR FISH
- A22B—SLAUGHTERING
- A22B5/00—Accessories for use during or after slaughtering
- A22B5/0064—Accessories for use during or after slaughtering for classifying or grading carcasses; for measuring back fat
- A22B5/007—Non-invasive scanning of carcasses, e.g. using image recognition, tomography, X-rays, ultrasound
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- A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
- A61—MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; HYGIENE
- A61B—DIAGNOSIS; SURGERY; IDENTIFICATION
- A61B5/00—Measuring for diagnostic purposes; Identification of persons
- A61B5/103—Detecting, measuring or recording devices for testing the shape, pattern, colour, size or movement of the body or parts thereof, for diagnostic purposes
- A61B5/107—Measuring physical dimensions, e.g. size of the entire body or parts thereof
- A61B5/1075—Measuring physical dimensions, e.g. size of the entire body or parts thereof for measuring dimensions by non-invasive methods, e.g. for determining thickness of tissue layer
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- A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
- A61—MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; HYGIENE
- A61B—DIAGNOSIS; SURGERY; IDENTIFICATION
- A61B8/00—Diagnosis using ultrasonic, sonic or infrasonic waves
- A61B8/08—Detecting organic movements or changes, e.g. tumours, cysts, swellings
- A61B8/0858—Detecting organic movements or changes, e.g. tumours, cysts, swellings involving measuring tissue layers, e.g. skin, interfaces
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- G—PHYSICS
- G01—MEASURING; TESTING
- G01S—RADIO DIRECTION-FINDING; RADIO NAVIGATION; DETERMINING DISTANCE OR VELOCITY BY USE OF RADIO WAVES; LOCATING OR PRESENCE-DETECTING BY USE OF THE REFLECTION OR RERADIATION OF RADIO WAVES; ANALOGOUS ARRANGEMENTS USING OTHER WAVES
- G01S7/00—Details of systems according to groups G01S13/00, G01S15/00, G01S17/00
- G01S7/52—Details of systems according to groups G01S13/00, G01S15/00, G01S17/00 of systems according to group G01S15/00
- G01S7/52017—Details of systems according to groups G01S13/00, G01S15/00, G01S17/00 of systems according to group G01S15/00 particularly adapted to short-range imaging
- G01S7/52023—Details of receivers
- G01S7/52033—Gain control of receivers
Definitions
- the present invention relates to ultrasonic measuring apparatus, in particular a testing device for measuring the depth of backfat found on livestock.
- the present invention improves over the prior art by providing a method and apparatus which are capable of discriminating between various layers of skin and backfat in order to locate the appropriate layer and convert that information to a digital readout in terms of units of length, which can be understood immediately by the operator without further interpretation. Furthermore, the present invention provides a warning indicator to notify the operator that the apparatus has located the appropriate backfat layer so that the operator knows that the data appearing at the readout is accurate. Finally, the present invention performs these tasks without the need for calibration by the operator.
- the present invention discloses a method and apparatus for ultrasonic measurement of backfat thickness in animals including a means for transmitting ultrasonic energy pulses and for receiving return echoes, including a probe for placement on the body of an animal to be tested and means for increasing the responsiveness of return echoes until a first predetermined number of echoes is received and thereafter fixing the response level.
- the present invention also includes measurement and display means responsive to the detecting means for measuring the travel time of the appropriate echo pulse and for displaying the travel time in terms of depth within the animal's body of the layer corresponding to the inner fat layer.
- the responsiveness of the apparatus is continually increased on succeeding transmitted pulses (by increasing transmitted power or increasing receiver sensitivity) until the first fat layer is detected.
- the desired fat layer is detected, the thickness is measured and indicated.
- the present invention designated generally as 10 in FIGURE 1, includes a hand-held unit 12, an ultrasonic probe 14 and a flexible connecting cable 16 therebetween.
- the invention is shown in a typical operating situation where probe 14 is placed on pig 18 by operator 20.
- Unit 12 includes a digital readout display 22 which in the preferred embodiment displays the desired information in millimeters.
- the unit also has an indicator lamp 24 which, when lit, indicates the proper operation of the present invention, as will be explained in greater detail hereinafter.
- ultrasonic pulses when transmitted into the body of an animal, will return echoes or return pulses due to reflection at the interfaces between various layers of animal tissue.
- the present invention automatically selects the desired return pulses and converts that information into a distance measurement in a directly readable form.
- FIGURE 2 illustrates a typical cross-sectional view of the biological structure of a pig.
- Ultrasonic probe 14 is shown applied firmly against the outer skin 26 of the animal.
- a first interface 28 between the first layer of backfat 30 and the skin 26.
- a second interface 32 which delineates the beginning of the second layer of backfat 34.
- a third interface 36 generally occurs between layer 34 and the loin muscle 38.
- a fourth interface 40 where the loin muscle ends.
- layer 30 may average 10 millimeters in thickness
- layer 34 may be approximately 20 millimeters thick
- the loin muscle 38 may be 120 millimeters across. Of course, these dimensions will vary greatly from animal to animal.
- Some species of swine may have more than 2 layers of fat, and accordingly there will be an additional interface.
- the present invention can be modified to make backfat measurements on these species, as explained hereinafter.
- FIGURE 3 illustrates in block diagram form the functional operation of the invention.
- a clock 50 generates a pulse train of square wave pulses 52 which are transmitted to a dual decade counter 54.
- Counter 54 is shown as a dual decade counter, as only two displays are employed; however, in the preferred embodiment a quad-decade counter (count to 10,000) is employed in order to pulse probe 14 less frequently, thereby minimizing the energy consumption of the unit.
- the operation of the invention is essentially unchanged, however.
- the oscillating frequency of the clock 50 is scaled such that the output of the counter shown here as display elements 56 will read directly into millimeters.
- Each pulse into counter 54 causes the counter to advance one unit.
- the output of amplifier 64 is connected to a threshold detector 68 which performs two functions. The first being to convert return pulses which appear at its input as AC pulses, such as those designated 70, to DC pulses at the output, such as those designated by the numeral 72.
- the second purpose of detector 68 is to act as a filter to prevent or suppress the passage of pulses which do not exceed a predetermined minimum level.
- detector 68 The output of detector 68 is then fed into a binary counter 74 which counts consecutive pulses. When two consecutive pulses have been counted, the counter produces an output signal to an indicator light 76.
- indicator 76 could take the form of an audible warning or other means to notify the user. With indicator 76 activated, the user is informed that two pulses have been received which have passed through the threshold detector 68. As will be explained hereinafter, when indicator 76 is lit, the user is informed that the apparatus is showing on display 56 the measurement in millimeters of the distance from probe 14 to third interface 36.
- amplifier 64, detector 68, and counter 74 can also be considered as a single pulse detecting circuit.
- FIGURE 4 is a graph illustrating typical return pulse wave forms which would be detected at probe 14 after transmitting an ultrasonic pulse into an animal.
- a pulse would be transmitted.
- a short time thereafter at time t 1 the first echo 112 reflecting off the outer skin 26 would be received.
- a second return pulse would be received from waves reflected at interface 32.
- a reflected pulse 116 from interface 36 would be received.
- a pulse 118 would be received from interface 40.
- the time from to to t 3 must be determined.
- reflected echoes do not return as pure or clean as the transmitted pulse.
- the echo reflected off the first interface is a particular problem in that it is very strong and the homogeneity of the interface returns additional echoes (as indicated by 110) which trail the primary echo 112. Echoes 110 may themselves be of sufficient amplitude to be mistakenly counted as reflections off later interfaces. It is necessary, therefore, to cause amplifier 64 to ignore the echoes 110 and 112 altogether.
- a fixed time delay 78 is employed to reset sensitivity control 66 to minimum sensitivity for a predetermined period of time, which in turn lowers the gain of amplifier 64.
- sensitivity control 66 is configured to stepwise increase the level of sensitivity or gain factor in amplifier. Initially, control 66 is set to its lowest level. However, every time output 58 appears control 66 is caused to step to the next higher sensitivity or level of gain.
- amplifier 64 is incremented by control 66. If counter 74 does not reach a count of "2" before counter 54 overflows (count to 100 on a dual decade or count to 10,000 on a quad decade), the counters and sensitivity control 66 are reset and pulse generator 60 is reactivated. At some point, amplifier 64 will have sufficient gain to produce a signal of sufficient magnitude to pass through threshold detector 68 and be counted by counter 74. When counter 74 reaches a count of 2, it produces an output at 80 which resets control 66 to its minimum sensitivity level. Output 80 is also fed into the latch control of counter 54 which causes the counter to freeze its count and display its data in digital display 56. Thus, when two pulses are received at output 80, indicator light 76 is activated and display 56 indicates the distance in millimeters to the third interface 36.
- sensitivity control 66 control the threshold level of detector 68 rather than the gain of amplifier 64.
- the result at counter 74 will be the same. It would also be possible to have sensitivity control 66 adjust the output pulse power of generator 60. Again, the result at counter 74 would be the same in terms of controlling sensitivity.
- FIGURE 5 illustrates the operation of the present invention in terms of pulses over a period of time which might be read at certain points in the circuit.
- trace A the pulses from pulse generator 60 are plotted against time.
- DC pulses 82 appear periodically according to output 58 of counter 54.
- the trace B indicates this stepwise incrementing of the sensitivity control 66 and thereby the gain factor of amplifier 64.
- Trace B is a plot of output of sensitivity control 66 indicating relative voltage as plotted against time. After each pulse 82 of the pulse generator, there is a period 84 where the sensitivity control 66 is set at its minimum predetermined level due to the action of time delay 78. After this time period 84 has passed, the sensitivity is stepped up. In the first period, sensitivity is stepped to the first increment and in successive periods the sensitivity voltage is stepwise increased. Looking to trace C, which illustrates relative voltage at the output of threshold detector 68 as plotted against time, it can be seen that in the first period, no echo or return pulse has sufficient magnitude to pass through the predetermined level of threshold detector 68.
- Pulse 86 appears sometime in period 2 indicating an echo at interface 32. In period 3, pulses 88 and 90 succeed in passing threshold detector 68 because sensitivity control 66 has been incremented one more step.
- indicator light 76 will be activated as shown by the shaded portion 92 following pulse 90. It should also be noted that with indicator 76 activated, counter 54 is latched. Sensitivity control 66 and counter 74 are reset at the beginning of period 4 when counter 54 produces an output at 58.
- Trace D in FIGURE 5 plots relative voltage versus time at output 80 of counter 74.
- a pulse appears at the end of period 3 indicating that two counts have been received in counter 74.
- counter 54 is latched and an output appears fixed at display 56.
- Counter 54 continues to count to overflow although the count at display 56 is fixed for the remainder of the period.
- counter 74 is reset by the pulse appearing at output 58.
- Trace E in FIGURE 5 illustrates the count in counter 54 plotted against time.
- the counter will start from 0 and go to 99 (or 9,999 for a quad decade counter) at the end of the period whereupon an output at 58 will appear and a new pulse will be generated.
- the counter 54 will then also start from 0 again.
- an output will appear at 80 in counter 74 which will latch counter 56 at a count of perhaps "75".
- the numeral "75" on the graph indicates that display 56 would show the counter stopped at 75 mm.
- the user places probe 14 against the outer skin 26 of the animal.
- a lubricant such as oil or water may be used to ensure good contact between skin 26 and the probe 14.
- the unit may then be activated by an external switch (not shown) which starts clock 50 which in turn activates the remaining circuitry in the sequence as discussed above.
- the user simply holds the probe steady and waits until indicator light 76 appears. Once the light is activated, the display 56 will indicate the distance from the outer skin 26 to the third inferface 36 in millimeters. Indicator 76 will appear to be a steady light; however, it will actually be a pulsating light of high frequency indicating successive measurements are being made.
- the present invention may be practiced as an apparatus or a method which performs in the manner as described herein.
- FIG. 6 An improvement to the preferred embodiment as shown in Figure 3, can be seen in Figure 6.
- Most components of Figure 6 are identical to those of Figure 3, and have the same reference numbers.
- the circuits of FIGURES 3 and 6 function in a like manner excepting the step-wise incrementation of sensitivity control 66.
- the gain sensitivity of amplifier 64 is limited to the gain necessary to permit threshold detector 68 to sense the ultrasound echo reflected back from the first fat layer interface 32 as shown in Figure 2.
- the advantage of limiting the gain sensitivity of amplifier 64 in such a manner can be explained by reference to Figure 2.
- Figure 2 shows probe 14 firmly applied to the animal outer skin 18 perpendicular to interfaces 32 and 36.
- the ultrasound reflections from said interfaces are reflected directly back to probe 14 with little or no angular displacement from the orthogonal axes of said interfaces.
- the gain sensitivity of amplifer 64 as embodied in Figure 3 will step-wise increase until the ultrasound echo from interface 36 is detected, resulting in a correct measurement of the backfat thickness. If reasonable care is taken in placing probe 14 on the outer skin 18 of the animal, accurate measurements are easily obtained.
- AND gate 100 serves to limit the gain sensitivity of amplifier 64 to the level necessary to detect the first interface 32.
- the count 1 output 102 of binary counter 74 is inverted and applied to one input of AND gate 100 so as to inhibit the step-wise incrementation of sensitivity control 66 by output 58 of decade counter 54 after the detection of interface 32.
- AND gate 100 is designed so that its inherent delay properly inhibits the step incrementation of sensitivity control 66 during the reset cycle of binary counter 74.
- binary counter 74 is reset each time decade counter 54 times out before the occurrence of an output at 80 of binary counter 74 or the detection of the second interface 36.
- the operation of the detection circuitry as embodied in Figure 6 can be further explained by reference to Figure 5.
- Figure 5 represents one possible mode of operation of the embodiment of Figure 3.
- the sensitivity control voltage represented by waveform B is step-wise incremented until during time period 3 the first and second echoes from the interfaces 32 and 36, respectively, are detected by threshold detector 68 during the same cycle. It is also seen that during time period 2, the first interface 32 is detected but the second interface 36 is not, a result which is likely to occur when the position of probe 14 on the animal skin 18 is poor.
- the second interface 36 could also have been detected.
- waveform B during time period 3 the embodiment shown in Figure 3 causes a step-wise incrementation of the sensitivity control voltage during the next cycle of operation.
- the embodiment of Figure 6 inhibits this incrementation so that the sensitivity control voltage level B of time period 3 remains ' the same as that of time period 2.
- the detection of interface 36 as shown by pulse 90 during time period 3 then becomes a function of the positioning of probe 14.
- FIGURE 6 effectively eliminates the possibility of erroneous backfat measurements due to improper probe placement, and thereby reduces the skill necessary to operate the backfat meter.
Abstract
Description
- The present invention relates to ultrasonic measuring apparatus, in particular a testing device for measuring the depth of backfat found on livestock.
- In the livestock industry and most importantly in the raising of hogs, it is important to determine the amount of backfat on an animal. Previously, this measurement was obtained by piercing the skin of the animal with a mechanical measuring tool. This mechanical method was undesirable due to the irritation and possible infection which the animal might suffer, and in some areas, this method has been made illegal. As an alternative, ultrasonic waves can be transmitted into the animal, and by measuring reflected echoes, the depth of various fat layers can be determined. Because such animals have various layers of tissue and fat, a single ultrasonic pulse transmitted into the animal produces multiple return echoes originating at the interface between such layers. The problem, therefore, unsolved by prior art devices, was to isolate the desired reflective pulses or echoes from unwanted echoes and produce an output display in a directly readable form which would immediately supply the measurement data without operator interpretation. Prior art devices have used oscilloscope displays such as US―A―4,030,343 to display all reflected pulses, leaving the problem of interpreting which pulses are relevant and calculating the thickness measurement of the device to the operator. In others, such as US―A―3,964,297, a predetermined threshold value is selected for screening spurious pulses. Since this value is not dynamically adjusted, such a system is not able to accurately distinguish real from false returns.
- The present invention improves over the prior art by providing a method and apparatus which are capable of discriminating between various layers of skin and backfat in order to locate the appropriate layer and convert that information to a digital readout in terms of units of length, which can be understood immediately by the operator without further interpretation. Furthermore, the present invention provides a warning indicator to notify the operator that the apparatus has located the appropriate backfat layer so that the operator knows that the data appearing at the readout is accurate. Finally, the present invention performs these tasks without the need for calibration by the operator.
- The present invention discloses a method and apparatus for ultrasonic measurement of backfat thickness in animals including a means for transmitting ultrasonic energy pulses and for receiving return echoes, including a probe for placement on the body of an animal to be tested and means for increasing the responsiveness of return echoes until a first predetermined number of echoes is received and thereafter fixing the response level. The present invention also includes measurement and display means responsive to the detecting means for measuring the travel time of the appropriate echo pulse and for displaying the travel time in terms of depth within the animal's body of the layer corresponding to the inner fat layer.
- According to one aspect of the invention, the responsiveness of the apparatus is continually increased on succeeding transmitted pulses (by increasing transmitted power or increasing receiver sensitivity) until the first fat layer is detected. When the desired fat layer is detected, the thickness is measured and indicated. More specifically, the method and apparatus according the invention have the features as appearing from the accompanying claims.
- In the drawings,
- FIGURE 1 is a perspective view showing the present invention in a typical testing situation on an animal;
- FIGURE 2 is a sectional view through a portion of the animal's back with the probe in place;
- FIGURE 3 is a block diagram of the present invention;
- FIGURE 4 is a graph showing a typical response recording the reflected pulses from the transducer;
- FIGURE 5 is a multiple trace graph illustrating the electrical operation of the present invention; and
- FIGURE 6 is a block diagram, similar to FIGURE 3, of a further embodiment of the invention.
- Referring to the drawings, wherein like numerals represent like parts throughout the several views, the present invention, designated generally as 10 in FIGURE 1, includes a hand-held unit 12, an
ultrasonic probe 14 and a flexible connecting cable 16 therebetween. In FIGURE 1, the invention is shown in a typical operating situation whereprobe 14 is placed onpig 18 by operator 20. Unit 12 includes a digital readout display 22 which in the preferred embodiment displays the desired information in millimeters. The unit also has an indicator lamp 24 which, when lit, indicates the proper operation of the present invention, as will be explained in greater detail hereinafter. - It is known that ultrasonic pulses, when transmitted into the body of an animal, will return echoes or return pulses due to reflection at the interfaces between various layers of animal tissue. Using this principle, the present invention automatically selects the desired return pulses and converts that information into a distance measurement in a directly readable form.
- In order to understand the operation of the invention, reference should be had to FIGURE 2, which illustrates a typical cross-sectional view of the biological structure of a pig.
Ultrasonic probe 14 is shown applied firmly against the outer skin 26 of the animal. Just below the skin is afirst interface 28 between the first layer of backfat 30 and the skin 26. At the end of the first backfat layer there is asecond interface 32 which delineates the beginning of the second layer of backfat 34. A third interface 36 generally occurs between layer 34 and theloin muscle 38. Finally, there is afourth interface 40 where the loin muscle ends. Although the distances vary substantially, layer 30 may average 10 millimeters in thickness, layer 34 may be approximately 20 millimeters thick, and theloin muscle 38 may be 120 millimeters across. Of course, these dimensions will vary greatly from animal to animal. Some species of swine may have more than 2 layers of fat, and accordingly there will be an additional interface. The present invention can be modified to make backfat measurements on these species, as explained hereinafter. - FIGURE 3 illustrates in block diagram form the functional operation of the invention. A
clock 50 generates a pulse train ofsquare wave pulses 52 which are transmitted to adual decade counter 54.Counter 54 is shown as a dual decade counter, as only two displays are employed; however, in the preferred embodiment a quad-decade counter (count to 10,000) is employed in order to pulseprobe 14 less frequently, thereby minimizing the energy consumption of the unit. The operation of the invention is essentially unchanged, however. The oscillating frequency of theclock 50 is scaled such that the output of the counter shown here as display elements 56 will read directly into millimeters. Each pulse intocounter 54 causes the counter to advance one unit. When the counter overflows (i.e., to a count of 100) an output at 58 is produced which is transmitted topulse generator 60. This generator applies a DC pulse to theultrasonic transducer 62 which is enclosed withinprobe 14. When a transmitting pulse is sent throughtransducer 62, the input to amplifier 64 is temporarily cut off to prevent amplifier overload (not shown in block diagram). When the return pulses or echoes are received attransducer 62 they are then amplified at amplifier 64. The sensitivity or gain of amplifier 64 is controlled by asensitivity control 66 which is a stepwise incremental control which can increase the gain factor of the amplifier 64 by discrete increments. Wave form 65 abovecontrol 66 shows a typical step output of the control. A shift register may be used to generate this form. Thesensitivity control 66 is caused to increase to the next higher increment whenever an output pulse appears at 58 fromcounter 54. The connection is shown byline 67. - The output of amplifier 64 is connected to a
threshold detector 68 which performs two functions. The first being to convert return pulses which appear at its input as AC pulses, such as those designated 70, to DC pulses at the output, such as those designated by thenumeral 72. The second purpose ofdetector 68 is to act as a filter to prevent or suppress the passage of pulses which do not exceed a predetermined minimum level. - The output of
detector 68 is then fed into abinary counter 74 which counts consecutive pulses. When two consecutive pulses have been counted, the counter produces an output signal to anindicator light 76. It should be noted thatindicator 76 could take the form of an audible warning or other means to notify the user. Withindicator 76 activated, the user is informed that two pulses have been received which have passed through thethreshold detector 68. As will be explained hereinafter, whenindicator 76 is lit, the user is informed that the apparatus is showing on display 56 the measurement in millimeters of the distance fromprobe 14 to third interface 36. Although shown in discrete blocks, amplifier 64,detector 68, and counter 74 can also be considered as a single pulse detecting circuit. - In order to understand the operation of the circuit of FIGURE 3, reference should be had to the next figure. FIGURE 4 is a graph illustrating typical return pulse wave forms which would be detected at
probe 14 after transmitting an ultrasonic pulse into an animal. At time to, a pulse would be transmitted. A short time thereafter at time t1, thefirst echo 112 reflecting off the outer skin 26 would be received. Sometime later, at time t2, for example, a second return pulse would be received from waves reflected atinterface 32. At t3, a reflectedpulse 116 from interface 36 would be received. At t4, apulse 118 would be received frominterface 40. In order to determine the thickness of backfat of the animal, the time from to to t3 must be determined. - Since the tissue is not absolutely homogeneous, reflected echoes do not return as pure or clean as the transmitted pulse. The echo reflected off the first interface is a particular problem in that it is very strong and the homogeneity of the interface returns additional echoes (as indicated by 110) which trail the
primary echo 112.Echoes 110 may themselves be of sufficient amplitude to be mistakenly counted as reflections off later interfaces. It is necessary, therefore, to cause amplifier 64 to ignore theechoes fixed time delay 78 is employed to resetsensitivity control 66 to minimum sensitivity for a predetermined period of time, which in turn lowers the gain of amplifier 64. With the gain lowered, echoes 110 and 112 will not pass throughdetector 68 and thus counter 74 will ignore those pulses. When a signal appears atoutput 58 ofcounter 54, the pulse generator is pulsed andtime delay device 78 is started. For the predetermined period,time delay 78 holdssensitivity control 68 to minimum sensitivity. At the end of the time period,sensitivity control 68 returns to its previously set level. By using a time delay of approximately 3 to 5 microseconds, the echo received from the first interface will be effectively ignored bycounter 74. - Like
echo 112, remainingechoes sensitivity control 66 is configured to stepwise increase the level of sensitivity or gain factor in amplifier. Initially,control 66 is set to its lowest level. However, everytime output 58 appearscontrol 66 is caused to step to the next higher sensitivity or level of gain. Thus, everytime pulse generator 60 transmits a pulse, amplifier 64 is incremented bycontrol 66. Ifcounter 74 does not reach a count of "2" beforecounter 54 overflows (count to 100 on a dual decade or count to 10,000 on a quad decade), the counters andsensitivity control 66 are reset andpulse generator 60 is reactivated. At some point, amplifier 64 will have sufficient gain to produce a signal of sufficient magnitude to pass throughthreshold detector 68 and be counted bycounter 74. Whencounter 74 reaches a count of 2, it produces an output at 80 which resetscontrol 66 to its minimum sensitivity level.Output 80 is also fed into the latch control ofcounter 54 which causes the counter to freeze its count and display its data in digital display 56. Thus, when two pulses are received atoutput 80,indicator light 76 is activated and display 56 indicates the distance in millimeters to the third interface 36. - As an alternative to the configuration of the preferred embodiment, it is possible to have
sensitivity control 66 control the threshold level ofdetector 68 rather than the gain of amplifier 64. The result at counter 74 will be the same. It would also be possible to havesensitivity control 66 adjust the output pulse power ofgenerator 60. Again, the result at counter 74 would be the same in terms of controlling sensitivity. - FIGURE 5 illustrates the operation of the present invention in terms of pulses over a period of time which might be read at certain points in the circuit. On trace A, the pulses from
pulse generator 60 are plotted against time.DC pulses 82 appear periodically according tooutput 58 ofcounter 54. The trace B indicates this stepwise incrementing of thesensitivity control 66 and thereby the gain factor of amplifier 64. - Trace B is a plot of output of
sensitivity control 66 indicating relative voltage as plotted against time. After eachpulse 82 of the pulse generator, there is aperiod 84 where thesensitivity control 66 is set at its minimum predetermined level due to the action oftime delay 78. After thistime period 84 has passed, the sensitivity is stepped up. In the first period, sensitivity is stepped to the first increment and in successive periods the sensitivity voltage is stepwise increased. Looking to trace C, which illustrates relative voltage at the output ofthreshold detector 68 as plotted against time, it can be seen that in the first period, no echo or return pulse has sufficient magnitude to pass through the predetermined level ofthreshold detector 68. Only after thesensitivity control 66 is incremented do any of the echoes have sufficient amplitude to pass through the threshold detector.Pulse 86 appears sometime inperiod 2 indicating an echo atinterface 32. Inperiod 3,pulses 88 and 90 succeed in passingthreshold detector 68 becausesensitivity control 66 has been incremented one more step. Once pulse 90 has been received by counter 74indicator light 76 will be activated as shown by the shadedportion 92 following pulse 90. It should also be noted that withindicator 76 activated,counter 54 is latched.Sensitivity control 66 and counter 74 are reset at the beginning ofperiod 4 whencounter 54 produces an output at 58. - Trace D in FIGURE 5 plots relative voltage versus time at
output 80 ofcounter 74. A pulse appears at the end ofperiod 3 indicating that two counts have been received incounter 74. At thatpoint counter 54 is latched and an output appears fixed at display 56.Counter 54 continues to count to overflow although the count at display 56 is fixed for the remainder of the period. At the end of eachperiod counter 74 is reset by the pulse appearing atoutput 58. - Trace E in FIGURE 5 illustrates the count in
counter 54 plotted against time. Inperiods counter 54 will then also start from 0 again. In the third period, however, an output will appear at 80 incounter 74 which will latch counter 56 at a count of perhaps "75". Thus, the numeral "75" on the graph indicates that display 56 would show the counter stopped at 75 mm. - In operating the device, the
user places probe 14 against the outer skin 26 of the animal. A lubricant such as oil or water may be used to ensure good contact between skin 26 and theprobe 14. The unit may then be activated by an external switch (not shown) which startsclock 50 which in turn activates the remaining circuitry in the sequence as discussed above. The user simply holds the probe steady and waits untilindicator light 76 appears. Once the light is activated, the display 56 will indicate the distance from the outer skin 26 to the third inferface 36 in millimeters.Indicator 76 will appear to be a steady light; however, it will actually be a pulsating light of high frequency indicating successive measurements are being made. - It is possible to alter the present invention to measure the distance from outer skin 26 to any of the other interfaces by modifying the number of counts counter 74 must reach in order to produce an
output 80 or alternatively to lengthen or shortentime delay 78. Because ofsensitivity control 66 which automatically adjusts the sensitivity of amplifier 64, the user need not calibrate the device to receive an accurate reading. - The present invention may be practiced as an apparatus or a method which performs in the manner as described herein.
- An improvement to the preferred embodiment as shown in Figure 3, can be seen in Figure 6. Most components of Figure 6 are identical to those of Figure 3, and have the same reference numbers. The circuits of FIGURES 3 and 6 function in a like manner excepting the step-wise incrementation of
sensitivity control 66. By virtue of the additional component ANDgate 100, the inputs of which are the output ofdual decade counter 54 and thecount 1 output 102 of thebinary counter 74, the gain sensitivity of amplifier 64 is limited to the gain necessary to permitthreshold detector 68 to sense the ultrasound echo reflected back from the firstfat layer interface 32 as shown in Figure 2. The advantage of limiting the gain sensitivity of amplifier 64 in such a manner can be explained by reference to Figure 2. - Figure 2 shows
probe 14 firmly applied to the animalouter skin 18 perpendicular tointerfaces 32 and 36. When so applied, the ultrasound reflections from said interfaces are reflected directly back to probe 14 with little or no angular displacement from the orthogonal axes of said interfaces. When theprobe 14 is so applied the gain sensitivity of amplifer 64 as embodied in Figure 3 will step-wise increase until the ultrasound echo from interface 36 is detected, resulting in a correct measurement of the backfat thickness. If reasonable care is taken in placingprobe 14 on theouter skin 18 of the animal, accurate measurements are easily obtained. However, in the event that probe 14 is placed so that the ultrasound echoes frominterfaces 32 and 36 are displaced from the orthogonal axes of their planes, erroneous backfat depth measurements are possible with the embodiment shown in Figure 3. Such erroneous measurements are attributable to random interfaces accruing within the animal tissue. When theprobe 14 is poorly positioned, it is possible that the ultrasound echoes from interface 36 will be reflected to a position on theanimal skin 18 that is sufficiently horizontally displaced fromprobe 14 so that excessive amplification by amplifier 64 is necessary to detect the displaced echo. Because of non-homogeneity in certain animal tissues a sensing of spurious echoes mistakenly for interface 36 is possible. The reason these spurious interfaces are mistakenly detected for interface 36 in the embodiment of Figure 3, is that the gain sensitivity of amplifier 64 is step-wise increased until the second echo is detected bythreshold detector 68. The problem of excessive gain sensitivity by amplifier 64 whenprobe 14 is improperly positioned is eliminated in the embodiment of Figure 6 by limiting the gain sensitivity to the level necessary to detect thefirst interface 32. Because of the short distance from theanimal skin 18 to thefirst interface 32 the positioning ofprobe 14 with respect to the orthogonal axis ofinterface 32 is less critical than the positioning ofprobe 14 with respect to the orthogonal axis of interface 36. In that the amplitude of the reflected echo from interface 36 and that frominterface 32 are substantially the same, it is possible to key or limit the gain sensitivity of amplifier 64 to that ofinterface 32. Thus, when the echo frominterface 32 is detected, the detection of interface 36 becomes a function ofprobe placement 14 instead of amplifier sensitivity. Because the sensitivity of amplifier 64 is so limited, a mistaken detection of spurious interfaces for interface 36 becomes impossible, and so minimizes the degree of care necessary in the placement ofprobe 14 on theanimal skin 18. In operating the backfat meter as embodied in Figure 6, an accurate measurement may be obtained by merely placingprobe 14 against theanimal skin 18 and adjusting its placement until a measurement is obtained. - Referring to Figure 6, it can be seen that the addition of AND
gate 100 and its corresponding connections to the embodiment of FIGURE 3 serves to limit the gain sensitivity of amplifier 64 to the level necessary to detect thefirst interface 32. As shown, thecount 1 output 102 ofbinary counter 74 is inverted and applied to one input of ANDgate 100 so as to inhibit the step-wise incrementation ofsensitivity control 66 byoutput 58 ofdecade counter 54 after the detection ofinterface 32. It should be noted that ANDgate 100 is designed so that its inherent delay properly inhibits the step incrementation ofsensitivity control 66 during the reset cycle ofbinary counter 74. - As previously described in the embodiment of Figure 3,
binary counter 74 is reset eachtime decade counter 54 times out before the occurrence of an output at 80 ofbinary counter 74 or the detection of the second interface 36. The operation of the detection circuitry as embodied in Figure 6 can be further explained by reference to Figure 5. As explained earlier Figure 5 represents one possible mode of operation of the embodiment of Figure 3. In this mode the sensitivity control voltage represented by waveform B is step-wise incremented until duringtime period 3 the first and second echoes from theinterfaces 32 and 36, respectively, are detected bythreshold detector 68 during the same cycle. It is also seen that duringtime period 2, thefirst interface 32 is detected but the second interface 36 is not, a result which is likely to occur when the position ofprobe 14 on theanimal skin 18 is poor. It should be realized, however, that given an adequate placement ofprobe 14 duringtime period 2, the second interface 36 could also have been detected. As evidenced by waveform B duringtime period 3, the embodiment shown in Figure 3 causes a step-wise incrementation of the sensitivity control voltage during the next cycle of operation. In contrast, the embodiment of Figure 6 inhibits this incrementation so that the sensitivity control voltage level B oftime period 3 remains' the same as that oftime period 2. As noted previously, the detection of interface 36 as shown by pulse 90 duringtime period 3 then becomes a function of the positioning ofprobe 14. In this configuration the circuit shown in Figure 6 will continue to cycle with the gain sensitivity of amplifier 64 keyed to the first fat layer as the operator manipulates the positioning ofprobe 14 until the second layer is detected, at which point theindicator light 76 alerts the operator that a valid measurement is appearing at the display outputs 56. - It will be seen that the embodiment of FIGURE 6 effectively eliminates the possibility of erroneous backfat measurements due to improper probe placement, and thereby reduces the skill necessary to operate the backfat meter.
- While the embodiment shown and described above is in terms of separate functional blocks, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various functions could be combined or digitally implemented, for example by a microprocessor.
- Numerous characteristics and advantages of the invention have been set forth in the foregoing description, together with details of structure and function of the invention, and the novel features thereof are pointed out in the appended claims. The disclosure, however, is illustrative only, and changes may be made in detail, especially in matters of shape, size, and arrangement of parts, within the scope of the invention.
Claims (10)
Priority Applications (1)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
AT81901943T ATE19191T1 (en) | 1980-06-23 | 1981-06-18 | AUTOMATIC FAT LAYER THICKNESS MEASUREMENT DEVICE. |
Applications Claiming Priority (4)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
US162319 | 1980-06-23 | ||
US06/162,319 US4359055A (en) | 1980-06-23 | 1980-06-23 | Automatic digital backfat meter |
US223481 | 1981-01-08 | ||
US06/223,481 US4359056A (en) | 1980-06-23 | 1981-01-08 | Automatic digital backfat meter |
Publications (3)
Publication Number | Publication Date |
---|---|
EP0054062A1 EP0054062A1 (en) | 1982-06-23 |
EP0054062A4 EP0054062A4 (en) | 1983-08-09 |
EP0054062B1 true EP0054062B1 (en) | 1986-04-16 |
Family
ID=26858653
Family Applications (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
EP81901943A Expired EP0054062B1 (en) | 1980-06-23 | 1981-06-18 | Automatic backfat meter |
Country Status (7)
Country | Link |
---|---|
US (1) | US4359056A (en) |
EP (1) | EP0054062B1 (en) |
JP (1) | JPS57500900A (en) |
CA (1) | CA1168345A (en) |
DK (1) | DK76982A (en) |
FR (1) | FR2485184A1 (en) |
WO (1) | WO1982000002A1 (en) |
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US3844338A (en) * | 1970-12-01 | 1974-10-29 | H Hilgemann | Method of operating public bath and the like |
US4671289A (en) * | 1985-11-08 | 1987-06-09 | Renco Corporation | Housing for ultrasonic detector |
US4700711A (en) * | 1985-11-22 | 1987-10-20 | Renco Corporation | Ultrasonic detector with integral confidence tests |
DE3619292A1 (en) * | 1986-06-07 | 1987-12-10 | Hanns Rump | Apparatus and method for detecting the fat (lard) thickness on livestock, in particular on slaughter animals |
WO1989004635A1 (en) * | 1987-11-20 | 1989-06-01 | Estonskaya Selskokhozyaistvennaya Akademia | Echo-pulse tester |
DE3916049A1 (en) * | 1989-05-17 | 1990-11-22 | Csb Syst Software Entwicklung | Device for grading sides of pork - by measuring thickness of fat and lean meat by computer which averages the outputs of various ultrasonic image measurements |
US5150714A (en) * | 1991-05-10 | 1992-09-29 | Sri International | Ultrasonic inspection method and apparatus with audible output |
US5353796A (en) * | 1991-06-28 | 1994-10-11 | Eli Lilly And Company | Non-invasive device and method for grading meat |
US5303708A (en) * | 1992-07-27 | 1994-04-19 | Animal Ultrasound Services, Inc. | Grading of poultry carcasses with ultrasound |
US5140988A (en) * | 1991-08-22 | 1992-08-25 | Animal Ultrasound Services, Inc. | Detection of abnormal bone structure in animals and carcasses with ultrasound |
US5520183A (en) * | 1991-12-19 | 1996-05-28 | Meat Research Corporation | Fat depth measuring apparatus |
US5316003A (en) * | 1992-07-24 | 1994-05-31 | Animal Ultrasound Services, Inc. | Method and apparatus for positioning an ultrasonic transducer for longitudinal scanning of an animal or carcass |
US5509413A (en) * | 1993-08-11 | 1996-04-23 | Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba | Ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus |
US5448995A (en) * | 1994-02-14 | 1995-09-12 | The United States Of America As Represented By The Administrator Of The National Aeronautics And Space Administration | Method and apparatus for non-invasive evaluation of diaphragmatic function |
US5836880A (en) * | 1995-02-27 | 1998-11-17 | Micro Chemical, Inc. | Automated system for measuring internal tissue characteristics in feed animals |
US5573002A (en) * | 1995-02-27 | 1996-11-12 | Micro Chemical, Inc. | Method and apparatus for measuring internal tissue characteristics in feed animals |
US5685307A (en) * | 1995-02-28 | 1997-11-11 | Iowa State University Research Foundation, Inc. | Method and apparatus for tissue characterization of animals using ultrasound |
US5617864A (en) * | 1995-08-04 | 1997-04-08 | Animal Ultrasound Services, Inc. | Method and apparatus for positioning an ultrasonic transducer and a display screen |
US5613493A (en) | 1995-09-25 | 1997-03-25 | Schafer; Mark E. | Ultrasonic apparatus and method for measuring animal backfat |
US5717142A (en) * | 1996-01-16 | 1998-02-10 | Schafer; Mark Evan | Ultrasound image freezing apparatus and method for animal backfat measuring instruments |
US5941825A (en) * | 1996-10-21 | 1999-08-24 | Philipp Lang | Measurement of body fat using ultrasound methods and devices |
US6200210B1 (en) | 1996-11-12 | 2001-03-13 | Micro Beef Technologies, Inc. | Ruminant tissue analysis at packing plants for electronic cattle management and grading meat |
EP1014857A4 (en) * | 1997-08-19 | 2006-10-25 | John D Mendlein | Multi-site ultrasound methods and devices, particularly for measurement of fluid regulation |
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US6796184B2 (en) * | 2001-05-30 | 2004-09-28 | Rethel C. King | Ultrasound sorting of weanlings and identification of tenderness indicators |
US6615661B2 (en) | 2001-05-30 | 2003-09-09 | Rethel C. King | Ultrasound sorting of weanling calves and identification of tenderness indicators |
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US3053080A (en) * | 1957-12-26 | 1962-09-11 | Gen Motors Corp | Non-ambiguous display ultrasonic testing apparatus |
FR1468517A (en) * | 1964-02-21 | 1967-02-03 | Device for internal sound and ultrasonic exploration of solid and fluid media | |
US3496764A (en) * | 1967-03-27 | 1970-02-24 | Cornell Res Foundation Inc | Sonic inspection apparatus |
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US3606879A (en) * | 1968-06-17 | 1971-09-21 | Electro Medical Systems Inc | Monitoring the physiological phenomena of childbirth with ultrasound |
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US3818898A (en) * | 1970-03-16 | 1974-06-25 | Diagnostics Electronics Corp | Echo-encephalographic apparatus |
US3827287A (en) * | 1972-07-05 | 1974-08-06 | Western Electric Co | Methods of and apparatus for measuring the thickness of successive sections of a cable jacket |
US3828768A (en) * | 1972-07-13 | 1974-08-13 | Physiological Electronics Corp | Method and apparatus for detecting cardiac arrhythmias |
GB1418181A (en) * | 1973-02-27 | 1975-12-17 | Cole E M | Ultrasonic detection of inclusions in a fluid flowing within a tube |
US4031743A (en) * | 1973-05-03 | 1977-06-28 | The Commonwealth Of Australia, C/O Dept. Of Health | Ultrasonic echogram display |
CA973632A (en) * | 1973-05-29 | 1975-08-26 | Arthur C. Hudson | Echoencephalograph |
US3888238A (en) * | 1973-09-28 | 1975-06-10 | Univ Stanford | Ultrasonic blood vessel imaging system and method |
US3972228A (en) * | 1974-07-15 | 1976-08-03 | Magnetic Analysis Corporation | Ultrasonic non-destructive pulse testing apparatus |
DK134499B (en) * | 1974-11-19 | 1976-11-15 | Akad Tekn Videnskaber | Apparatus for providing an ultrasound image for use in measuring the distribution of meat and fat on biological material. |
US3964297A (en) * | 1974-12-16 | 1976-06-22 | Ithaco, Incorporated | Ultrasonic inspection apparatus |
US4043181A (en) * | 1975-04-18 | 1977-08-23 | New York Institute Of Technology | Ultrasonic pulse-echo apparatus |
US4112927A (en) * | 1975-12-04 | 1978-09-12 | Renco Corporation | Ultrasonic detector with audible indication signal |
US4138999A (en) * | 1976-10-29 | 1979-02-13 | Thomas D. Eckhart | Anatomy testing and measuring device |
US4111054A (en) * | 1977-08-22 | 1978-09-05 | Ithaco, Incorporated | Gravidity detection method and apparatus |
DE7915059U1 (en) * | 1979-05-25 | 1979-09-13 | Renco Corp., Minneapolis, Minn. (V.St.A.) | Thickness measuring device, especially for the thickness of back fat |
JPS55160803A (en) * | 1979-06-02 | 1980-12-15 | Kawasaki Steel Corp | Automatic gain control circuit |
US4261367A (en) * | 1979-10-25 | 1981-04-14 | Radionics Limited | Apparatus for measuring the axial length of an eye |
-
1981
- 1981-01-08 US US06/223,481 patent/US4359056A/en not_active Expired - Lifetime
- 1981-06-16 CA CA000379863A patent/CA1168345A/en not_active Expired
- 1981-06-18 EP EP81901943A patent/EP0054062B1/en not_active Expired
- 1981-06-18 JP JP56502377A patent/JPS57500900A/ja active Pending
- 1981-06-18 WO PCT/US1981/000755 patent/WO1982000002A1/en active IP Right Grant
- 1981-06-19 FR FR8112098A patent/FR2485184A1/en active Granted
-
1982
- 1982-02-22 DK DK76982A patent/DK76982A/en not_active Application Discontinuation
Also Published As
Publication number | Publication date |
---|---|
WO1982000002A1 (en) | 1982-01-07 |
CA1168345A (en) | 1984-05-29 |
JPS57500900A (en) | 1982-05-20 |
EP0054062A1 (en) | 1982-06-23 |
FR2485184B1 (en) | 1984-09-07 |
US4359056A (en) | 1982-11-16 |
EP0054062A4 (en) | 1983-08-09 |
FR2485184A1 (en) | 1981-12-24 |
DK76982A (en) | 1982-02-22 |
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